Twice a Monster
by Ana Graves
Summary: Ruby receives some unexpected news. She has to decide whether it's good or bad, but she doesn't have to do it by herself. Frankenwolf.


**A/N: A little quite silly thing I felt in need of writing. With a dedication to Caterine1 - you said "one-shot" and my brain started working. ;)**

**Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

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Ruby Lucas aka Red Riding Hood had never been known for her patience. In fact, she could be one of the most impatient citizens of Storybrooke. Her restlessness had always been positive though, and even during long awaiting she could have always brought smile to other people's faces.

This time was slightly different. She was in the bathroom, encircling the small space for the billionth time. Sometimes she stopped and impatiently bit her thumbnail just to turn on her heels and proceed her walk in the other direction. This five minutes seemed like the whole eternity. Looking at her watch every ten seconds didn't help speeding it up.

Finally the time was up. Uninhibited smile arouse on her lips. She turned around for the one last time and, with a heart beating so fast that she heard the rush of her blood in her ears, approached the bath where the single white object was lying peacefully, waiting to be picked up. Ruby slowly took the stick in her hands and discovered the result of the test.

Uncontrolled laugh escaped her lips. She covered her mouth with her hand and continued smiling silently to herself as the tears of joy started welling in her eyes.

The test came back positive. She was pregnant.

In the first impulse Ruby wanted to run out of the bathroom, find Granny and tell her this amazing news. She was already opening the door when she changed her mind and stayed inside, turning the locks. The moment only by herself was a good idea. She had never been a loner type, but something like this needed time to process, or at least that was what she thought.

Ruby felt the enormous happiness, so huge she had never felt in her entire life. She was going to have a baby. A tiny little creature only for herself. A small being that would love her unconditionally. She will finally get what she had always wished to have – a family. She had always had Granny and she loved her with all her heart, but it never felt enough. Red needed a family of her own, just like she had always dreamed of.

But as her joy almost started to overwhelm her, different emotions appeared, erasing the initial happiness in an instant. First came fear. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to take care of this new being that would be completely reliant on her. Having a baby meant enormous responsibility. Ruby was still so young – without these 28 cursed years, that is – and sometimes could feel the flightiness of her cursed self wanting to be in charge again. Would she be able to take care of someone? She wasn't afraid of the single act of giving birth: the transitions had sometimes been painful enough for her to get used to pain. But responsibility was a totally different thing.

When the world "transition" came to her mind, panic emerged. She was a werewolf, for gods' sake. How could have she been so stupid to let it happen? Her child would be just like her. A monster. She condemned her own tiny little creature for the fate that, without a proper attitude, could be its perdition in the period shorter than Ruby would need to be able to enjoy the motherhood. Being a werewolf in this world could mean for her child uncertainty about her or his identity, fear of every full moon, the desire for isolation so as not to hurt other people. That wasn't the fate Ruby would wish her worst enemy, let alone her own tiny creation.

The joy fled her heart, leaving her sad and shattered. She leaned against the door and slid down onto the floor, anxiously pulling her bottom lip. Tears of joy transferred into tears of helplessness. Was it selfish that she wanted to have a child, even though that meant he or she would be just like her? Maybe. Was it irresponsible to allow it to happen? Maybe. Maybe she was a bad person after all.

"Ruby!" She heard knocking on the door, though it was more like a thudding. "What are you doing there for so long? I need you here!"

"Coming, Granny!" Ruby shouted back. She stood up, sniffled and washed her face quickly. Looking at the mirror she didn't know what to feel anymore. She needed to talk to someone. She did a quick list in her head of possible people to have a conversation with. Granny would look at her darkly and swore to shot the one that "did it to her" with her beloved crossbow. No, Ruby's grandmother was out of the question. Snow would be so happy to hear the idea of being a godmother and then she would cheerfully assure Ruby that everything was going to be fine. No, that wasn't something Red wanted to hear. In fact she already knew who she wished to talk to. The only person that understood her. The only person that knew what her concerns were about. She was going to talk to him anyway.

Ruby smiled to herself and was going to leave the bathroom when she remembered about the stick in her hand. Yeah, it would be rather weird to leave with it in plain sight. She looked briefly at the dustbin standing next to the sink. No, it was too important to just throw it away. She hid it in her pocket and finally left the bathroom.

"Actually, I need a break." She smiled at her grandmother, who was standing behind the counter and collecting orders from the nearest clients. Granny shot her a heavy look.

"What is it this time? Another heartbreaking story to share with Emma and Snow?" Granny was referring to a few meetings Ruby had had with her best friend and this BFF's daughter that mostly revolved around Emma's love life and tough decisions considering men in Swan's life. Well, maybe there had been more than 'a few' meetings.

"Nope." She shook her head and looked at Granny with a pleading smile. The elder woman rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Go," she murmured, causing Ruby to giggle with excitement and kissed her cheek before running through the open door. "But come back today and not in the middle of the night!" Granny called behind her.

"Sure thing!" Ruby shouted back from the door and left the diner.

Outside she hid her hands in the pockets of her jacket and started walking in the chosen direction. The little pieces of joy came back as she imagined this little family of theirs. It was funny how she had put him in the first picture of this family without even slightest hesitation. She had felt they were connected for a long time and now their fates really became inseparably intertwined by the baby that was growing in her belly. The three-parted family was something she had dreamed of her entire life. And now it appeared to be within her reach. How could she not be happy about it, even though that would be a totally "monstrous" family?

She was smiling the whole way to his apartment. People were greeting her on the street and one woman Ruby recognized as the regular customer of the diner even said that she was glowing. Red thanked her brightly and turned right into the side street. She reached his place in the next five minutes. The next sixty second and she was knocking at his door. It was opened after what seemed the whole eternity.

"Hi." She smiled cheerfully at the man standing in front of her in the open door. "I'm pregnant," she added in the same tone and entered the apartment, passing him like what she had just said was the most normal thing in the entire world, something people used to hear every single day.

Whale stayed in the same position for a while, frozen in his spot until he finally closed the door and turned around.

"Pregnant," he repeated slowly, looking at her with hilarious – for Ruby, at least – expression.

"Mhm," she confirmed with a smile and headed to the kitchen. He followed her mechanically.

"Like... with me?" It was half a question, half a statement.

She tilted her head and looked at him indulgently, not abandoning her march. She wasn't going to feel offended by this half question, half statement. It wasn't like they were angels and had exclusiveness for each other. They weren't even in a relationship.

"Right," he added, more to himself than to her.

"Do you have milk?" She reached the kitchen without any problems. It was small with cupboards along each wall, fridge in the corner and narrow counter in the middle. Ruby opened the refrigerator and peeked inside it.

"I..." He stood in the threshold and was clearly trying to find his tongue. "Well," he cleared his throat, leaned against the door frame and said, pretending to be unmoved, "no, but I have yoghurt."

"I guess yoghurt would have to be enough." Ruby found the mentioned object, took it out, closed the fridge and stepped back along the counter. Then she opened the drawer of the cupboard nearest to the sink and grabbed a spoon. Whale watched her without any words with growing confusion and a deepening frown on his forehead.

Ruby had never been in his apartment before, but she already felt like home here. She opened the cup with a dairy product, loaded it on the spoon which she put into her mouth; eventually she sat on the edge of the cupboard counter with her back to the wall. Then she looked at Whale who still didn't move even for an inch.

"What?" she asked innocently, licking the contest off of her spoon.

"Nothing." He shrugged and approached her, leaning his hand on the counter next to her. "I'm just surprised."

"You don't look surprised," she commented, playing with the spoon by bumping it repeatedly over her bottom lip.

Victor fastened his eyes on her mouth. Few seconds passed until he came back to reality and looked her in the eyes. "But I am," he said seriously, stepping back and folding his arms across his chest.

"You shouldn't be," she remarked in a playful tone, licking the spoon very thoroughly. "I'm sure you know how children are created. You are a doctor after all."

He looked at her bitterly with the expression saying "it's not funny". She grinned and licked her lips seductively. He had to clear his throat before asking, "You are aware that you are driving me crazy, right?"

"That was my intention." Ruby laughed and hit him lightly on the shoulder with the spoon. He finally smiled slightly, but looked at her more carefully.

Red seemed joyful and happy, but some tones in her laughter made him wonder whether it was only a mask. "How are you feeling?" He asked, his smile gone and replaced by a concerned look.

"Physically? Wonderful." Her smile still lingered, but it was more faded than ever.

"You know that's not what I meant." He took a step in her direction so they were really close to each other now.

Ruby looked at him hesitantly, then sighed and averted her eyes. She wasn't sure of how to start this conversation.

After few seconds of silence she finally took a deep breath and began, firstly with slight uncertainty, then more securely. "The thing is, I'm afraid. Not of the delivery, raising a child or the situation between you and me." She put a hand on her chest then waved it into his direction. "I know we will be fine. For me it wasn't just a one-night stand and I hope... no, I know it wasn't only that for you too."

She looked at him expectantly, waiting for confirmation. Or denial, but she was convinced she won't get one. They had this connection that usually happens once in a life time. They understood each other better than anyone else could ever understand them. Ruby was sure the thing they had – whatever this thing was in that moment – could work out.

"It wasn't." His voice was soft when he said those words. A smile appeared on his lips and in the same moment Red felt like the heavy burden was just lifted from her heart. Only now did she realize how much she wanted to hear the evidence he felt the same way about her as she did about him.

"Great." She didn't even try to tame her excitement while saying this one small word. His smile widened. "The thing is," she started again, "that I am afraid of the future of this child." She mechanically put her hand on her stomach. "It... he or she will be just like me." She refused to refer to their child as 'it'. The baby wasn't a thing to be called as such, but a living being. 'He or she' would have to be enough for the next nine months or so.

"Meaning amazing, beautiful and a little bit crazy? I'm sure it will be like that. Unless it inherits too many things from its daddy. Then I wouldn't be so sure."

Ruby laughed and almost dropped her yoghurt. That was another thing she loved about him – he always could make her laugh, no matter what. "You know what I mean," she said after calming down, returning to being serious and laying her yoghurt down next to her. "My... our baby will be a monster."

Whale sighed and leaned against the counter on her right side. Before he could speak, Red continued, "I fear he or she wouldn't be able to deal with this whole wolf crap. I'm afraid he or she will hate me forever after finding out it's my fault. I'm scared to death that I won't be able to protect him or her from all these dangerous things that being a werewolf means. I..."

The words seemed to vapor from her mind. Her gaze was fastened on the wall, eyes were slowly welling with tears. She suddenly felt him pulling her for a hug. He rested his chin on her head and whispered "shh" into her ear as he started stroking her hair gently with his left hand. She grabbed his right arm and held it tightly, letting him calm her down. The insecurity came back and the mask of cheerfulness fell apart. One more time she felt like this lost girl who had eaten her boyfriend and had slowly become conscious of the consequences of her deeds.

"I needed to get it off my chest," she whispered, wondering if all these different emotions that had been coming and going in a heartbeat were the beginning of mood swings during pregnancy or maybe something else. "I knew I can only talk about it with you. Because you understand. Because you know."

"How to be a monster?" He chuckled, not aborting the movement of his hand. "Yes, I know."

He suddenly moved her in his arms, so she was now facing him.

"Look at me," he ordered and when she didn't listen, he lifted her chin with his hand. "Yes, we may both be monsters. Yes, our child can be a monster as well. But it doesn't matter as long as it will be loved. And it shall be. It will probably be a werewolf, just like you. But it won't be alone. It will have you to guide it through all this wolf stuff. No one, I repeat no one, would ever be able to hate you. And no parent is able to protect their child from the danger of this world or any other. You won't be an exception."

She looked at him with teary eyes and a delicate smile. "And we will have a sweet little family of three monsters?"

"Yes, we will." He laughed and kissed her in the forehead. Ruby was quite sure it might be their first discussion about all of this, but definitely not the last. For now it was enough for her worries to hide in the corners of her mind. "Such a statement is something worth celebrating."

He let go of her as she nodded, thinking that there was something more important to celebrate than a statement of being a family. "Quite a heritage we will pass down to him or her, won't we?" Her eyes followed him as he rounded the middle counter and took the bottle of whiskey out from the liquor cabinet.

"Yup," he confirmed and opened the cupboard hanging next to the fridge. He took out two glasses, hesitated, looked at Ruby and hid the second one, replacing it with a normal cup. She laughed at the slight awkwardness of his movements. "But it could always be worse. Imagine what would be inherited by Regina and Gold's kid."

"Ugh." Ruby flinched at the thought of such an unusual pairing, but then added, "It would be like an evilness to the endless power."

"And our will just be twice a monster." Whale poured whiskey to the glass and some orange juice he was apparently surprised of finding into the cup.

"Twice a monster, huh? I like it." She smiled and accepted the cup he handed her. "For our adorable little twice-a-monster?" She proposed a toast, raising the cup.

Whale smiled back and clinked her mug with his glass. "For our adorable little twice-a-monster."

They drank the contents of their dishes in one single gulp. Ruby put her cup next to her and started dangling her legs. "First you would have to figure out a way how to convince Granny not to shoot you with her crossbow," she noticed casually, looking askance at Victor.

"Yeah. That... that will be difficult." He nodded, staring at the window. Suddenly he shifted his gaze to her, smiled mischievously, set his glass on the cupboard and stood in front of her, leaning his hands on the counter on her both sides. "But I do hope you will support me in this battle."

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you," she said playfully, tilting her head. Wide grin appeared on her lips.

"Oh, I really think I will deserve your support." The space between them vanished into thin air when he leaned closer and kissed her. Ruby responded immediately, deepening the kiss. Her hands grabbed his hair as she pulled him closer to her, her legs wrapping around his waist. He didn't let her enjoy the situation for long though, breaking the kiss to her disappointment. "I still have one hour left to my shift," he whispered under his breath after checking his watch.

Ruby smiled approvingly as their eyes met. That was one of these moments when a man and a woman don't need words to understand each other.


End file.
